Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Yet I still get too many business plans that clearly are looking for money to do research and development (R&D) on a new and unproven technology.

Angel Investor 256

Angel Investor Early Stage Incubator Government 256

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 29, 2024

Designing Your Business Model Crafting a business model is like building a blueprint for your venture. Revenue streams are another critical component of your business model. Will you opt for direct sales, subscriptions, or a freemium model? Building Your Team A venture is only as strong as its team.

Intellectual Property 131

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Business Model Bootstrapping 131

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according to a classic Crunchbase article. Individual angel investors and crowdfunding have been adding to the momentum, some say exceeding VCs in total amount invested.

Angel Investor 342

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Portfolio 342

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 12, 2014

Having a good job afforded me the luxury of giving the customer a heavily discounted rate in exchange for the rights to the software. The product was a great success, and I decided to build a business around it. Requesting help can be hard, but it makes you more efficient and increases your business’ chances of success.

Angel Investor 273

Angel Investor Security Cofounder Salary 273

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 4, 2013

Many entrepreneurs work hard on the proof of concept (technical), but skip any proof of the business model (revenue flow). Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept. Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept.

Business Model 235

Business Model Product Advisory Board Angel Investor 235

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 31, 2018

Most of you new venture founders I meet as an angel investor seem convinced that starting the business is the hardest part. You look forward to the day when your business becomes self-sustaining, and settles into a long-term growth curve, ensuring financial success.

Dilution 167

Dilution Angel Investor Software Review Distribution 167

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 14, 2014

According to a Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with a majority of new ventures that don''t attract investors failing within the first three years. Software apps that once required a 10-person team can now be done with the Lean Development methodology by two people in a couple of months.

Entrepreneur 283

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 283

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 30, 2012

Many entrepreneurs work hard on the proof of concept (technical), but skip any proof of the business model (revenue flow). Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept. Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept.

Business Model 248

Business Model Advisory Board Entrepreneur Angel Investor 248

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2017

According to my experience and a classic Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with a majority of new ventures that don't attract investors failing within the first three years. Software apps that once required a 10-person team can now be done with the Lean Development methodology by two people in a couple of months.

Product Development 177

Product Development Cost Developer Product 177

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2021

Angel investors and venture capitalists are looking for startups with real products and a proven business model, ready to scale. Yet I still get too many business plans that clearly are looking for money to do research and development (R&D) on a new and unproven technology.

Early Stage 412

Early Stage Angel Investor Incubator Government 412

ReadWriteStart

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

Even if you have an angel investor or a venture capital (VC) firm backing you, you’ll have an abundance of expenses, limited income, and a finite amount of time before the money completely runs out. Oftentimes, new startups are inclined to cut costs that seem superfluous or unnecessary for the core business model to function.

Startup 106

Startup Software Review Open Source Technical Review 106

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2016

Thus the top priority of every entrepreneur who wants funding should be to build and highlight their “dream team” of co-founders, executives and advisers, to attract the biggest and best investors. Solo entrepreneurs rarely find an investor. Business credentials and functional coverage. Focus on prior results, not titles.

Sweat Equity 152

Sweat Equity Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Software Review 152

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

According to a Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with 90% of new ventures that don't attract investors failing within the first three years. Software apps that once required a 10-person team can now be done with the Lean Development methodology by two people in a couple of months.

Intellectual Property 309

Intellectual Property Technical Review Venture Capital Startup 309

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 12, 2018

According to a recent Motly Fool report, the challenge is very real, since around half of all businesses fail in the first five years. The problem is that professional investors (angels and venture capital) want a proven business model before they invest, ready to scale, rather than early projections and product development.

Intellectual Property 134

Intellectual Property Technical Review Startup Bootstrapping 134

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 15, 2011

Many entrepreneurs work hard on the proof of concept (technical), but skip any proof of the business model (revenue flow). Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept. Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept.

Business Model 234

Business Model Advisory Board Startup Angel Investor 234

Gust

APRIL 27, 2014

Software Development Process via Wikipedia. Even when your startup is a one-man show and lots of fun, a “business” needs some discipline and controls to keep it from being defined as a hobby by investors, and assure some financial return. Product development process. Funding process. Manage human resources.

Startup 187

Startup Institutional Investors Angel Investor Bootstrapping 187

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

AUGUST 8, 2011

‘Cause otherwise you’ll miss out on stuff like this: How I illegally got 25,000 students at the University of Texas to use my FastScheduler software in the 90′s. When should a company should focus on growth only, ignoring the business model and revenue?

Cofounder 226

Cofounder Angel Investor Hosting Software Review 226

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2020

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over twice as many companies, according the Crunchbase. Individual angel investors and crowdfunding have been adding to the momentum, some say exceeding VCs in total amount invested.

Angel Investor 314

Angel Investor Venture Capital Silicon Valley Startup 314

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

In very few specific cases, depending on the nature of the business, the business model might demand a considerable gestation period or extensive research and development. For these businesses, it is imperative to get funding from the start without which the company cannot be set up. Equity investors.

Startup 150

Startup Elevator Pitch Entrepreneur Seed Stage 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 8, 2015

According to a classic Gompers and Lerner study, the challenge is very real, with a majority of new ventures that don't attract investors failing within the first three years. Software apps that once required a 10-person team can now be done with the Lean Development methodology by two people in a couple of months.

Entrepreneur 120

Entrepreneur Intellectual Property Technical Review Incubator 120

Steve Blank

MARCH 16, 2016

Founders can now access the largest pool of risk capital that ever existed –in the form of Private Equity (Angel Investors, family offices , Venture Capitalists (VC’s) and Hedge Funds.). BTW, Angel investors do not have limited partners, and often invest for reasons other than just for financial gain (e.g., FDA approvals?

Liquidity Event 120

Liquidity Event Founder Liquidation Preference Private Equity 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 5, 2010

Many entrepreneurs work hard on the proof of concept (technical), but skip any proof of the business model (revenue flow). Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept. Proving the business model requires a different approach than proving the technical concept.

Business Model 120

Business Model Advisory Board Channel Angel Investor 120

Austin Startup

SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

business model and team. I usually don’t back a business unless there are founders that can build, sell, and service the new solution that is being brought to market. Here are the ingredients: Business model : This is actually the most important ingredient of the five. He also assisted greatly in sales.

Bootstrapping 52

Bootstrapping IPO Business Model Software Review 52

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 25, 2016

It says that selling an airplane ticket for $500 and getting paid a $5 fees by the airlines (1% gross margin) is not the same thing as selling $500 of software that you built (>90% gross margin). Sam did all this analysis before even deciding to build V1 of his software and before we put serious money behind him launching.

Startup 150

Startup Seed Money DC Software Review 150

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 6, 2012

Dysonics secured $750,000 in funding from angel investors to develop products that will reproduce three-dimensional, immersive sound in headphones. Some of the i-lab’s long-term residents include mobile app ActivePepper, baby gear rental company Baby Buggle, and software developer Rover. Harvard Innovation Lab. Innovation Depot.

Incubator 187

Incubator New York City Boston Intellectual Property 187

Up and Running

MARCH 11, 2015

This is the home of Jason Cohen, software startup founder, bootstrapper, investor, and mentor. Bill Gurley of Benchmark Capital doesn’t publish frequently, but his essays on market trends and Benchmark portfolio companies are a window into how VCs view the world and the kinds of business models that they find most interesting.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Technical Review Silicon Valley Cofounder 60

David Teten

AUGUST 15, 2013

Dell’s Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) Program offers “custom software and hardware integration, escalated 24/7 technical support, dedicated customer care agents, and complimentary access to local, pre-sale and enterprise consultants.”. SAP also has a dedicated fund for startups using HANA.

Startup 114

Startup Technical Support Balance Sheet Venture Capital 114

Up and Running

APRIL 27, 2020

There’s a great amount of uncertainty, people losing their jobs, and a direct hit on cash flows that can place businesses in dire straights. Current businesses are finding ways to pivot their business models, revisiting their budgets, and developing new forecasts to minimize their burn rate and maximize their available cash runway.

Software Review 113

Software Review Lean Forecast Business Plan 113

Steve Blank

JANUARY 20, 2014

There’s a concentration around several sectors: software, hardware, medical-technology, aviation, and a specialty of Oregon – craft beer brewing. These people are important and useful in the engineering of a tech cluster; as startup coaches, angel investors and advocates for the community. Startups in Bend.

Silicon Valley 312

Silicon Valley Oregon Lean Venture Capital 312

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 27, 2014

Venture capitalists (VCs) have long been seen as the top of the pyramid for startup funding sources, but in fact angel investors now fund over 60 times as many companies, according the Center for Venture Research. Individual angel investors have been filling the gap, and now match VCs in total amount invested.

Angel Investor 260

Angel Investor Silicon Valley Startup Portfolio 260

Transformify

SEPTEMBER 22, 2019

Therefore, hiring freelancers is key to our business model. When a client asks us to produce a branded video, web film, or create an application or design for their business, we hire the necessary talent for that specific gig. Lilia Stoyanov is CEO and angel investor at Transformify. About Transformify.

Hiring 66

Hiring Employee Angel Investor Advertising 66

ReadWriteStart

MAY 29, 2012

Crowdfunding works for creative projects - apps, consumer products, software - that resonate with average, everyday people. Crowdfunding] investors are not as sophisticated as professional venture and angel investors. What crowdfunding is not typically best for is something very technological in nature or B-to-B oriented.

Campaign 142

Campaign Stealth Social Media Audience 142

Steve Blank

JUNE 2, 2011

Reinventing the board meeting may allow venture-backed startups a more efficient, productive way to direct and measure their search for a profitable business model. Startups now understand what they should be doing in their early formative days is search for a business model. for a business model.

Silicon Valley 281

Silicon Valley Business Model Early Stage Venture Capital 281

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

Background: Justin Klemm’s analytics and website uptime startup, Ghost Inspector , wants to revolutionize the way businesses manage their ecommerce funnels. An Ivy League education, or a previous work history at a high-profile technology firm, are simply decent markers that the individual’s likelihood of success is slightly higher.

Private Equity 94

Private Equity Pre-Money Valuation Equity Startup 94

Tim Keane

DECEMBER 14, 2009

By Tim Keane, Angel Investor, Golden Angels Investors, LLC.   He is a partner in a pretty much exclusively software seed stage fund, Y Combinator that you can read more about.    Interestingly, the consulting business remained and is a mainstay even today.  Starting Startups.

Burn Rate 60

Burn Rate Angel Groups Seed Stage Startup 60

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 24, 2016

Here is my list, based on my own experience as a startup advisor, talking to other angel investors, and derived from the lean startup principles of venture advisor and entrepreneur Eric Ries : Strip the solution down to a focus on a key feature. Switch to a more attractive and lucrative business model.

Angel Investor 143

Angel Investor Dilution Matching Business Model 143

Transformify

SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

In short, a remote work model works in favor of everybody. It poses a more affordable business model for us while providing better service and pricing for our clients. Lilia Stoyanov is CEO and angel investor at Transformify. About Transformify.

Angel Investor 45

Angel Investor Asia Australia Software Review 45